Former DC teacher arrested, charged with soliciting child pornography: DOJ
A former Washington, D.C., schoolteacher has been arrested by the FBI for allegedly soliciting child pornography from a minor, the Justice Department said Monday.
Devonne Keith Brown, 56, who taught health at the IDEA Public Charter School, is accused of soliciting child sexual abuse materials from a young girl in Prince George's County, Maryland.
"Those who prey on minors to solicit the production of CSAM are morally reprehensible and will be held accountable for their heinous crimes," said Steven Jensen, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. "The FBI remains committed to protecting our children and ridding our communities of this grievous scourge."
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Brown is charged with one count of receipt of child pornography and appeared in court Monday. He was detained by a judge pending a Thursday hearing.
In addition to soliciting child porn, Brown also allegedly used CashApp to send payments to the minor, federal prosecutors said.
"for snacks ? more photos otw," one comment states on a $15 CashApp request sent to Brown from a minor, according to court documents.
The unidentified minor told investigators that she met a man named "Joseph" at a grocery store near her home.
She said the man sent her money for ice cream via the app. After communicating with the man on social media, she sent him nude images of herself, authorities said. The man who went by "Joseph" also sent the minor images of nude women and asked her to recreate them for him, prosecutors said.
Upon further investigation, authorities allege that they also found sexually graphic images and videos in emails sent to Brown by minors.
In a statement to FOX 5 DC, the charter school said it was "deeply concerned" by the allegations against Brown.
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"This individual is no longer employed by the school," the school said. "The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement and supporting their ongoing investigation. Based on the information currently available to us, there is no indication that any IDEA student was directly involved."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the school.